ABOUT US

Alliance Origins

In Milton Keynes, the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) is developing a coordinated structure for bringing together the organisations and issues affecting the VCSE and the Communities we support.

We have a range of fantastic networks and partnerships which focus on a range of areas (both geographical and thematic) and in order to give these as much strategic voice as possible, we have developed the Milton Keynes Voluntary Sector Alliance.

A group of voluntary, health and public sector representatives first came together in 2019 to explore how the voluntary sector’s voice could be strengthened in strategic discussions about health and wellbeing services in Milton Keynes.

This group was involved in the Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) Connecting Health Communities (then, known as Building Health Partnerships) initiative, and, after hearing about a similar approach taken in Lancashire and South Cumbria, formed an Alliance to create a single point of contact for the voluntary sector.

PURPOSE

To coordinate, collaborate and communicate how the VCSE is a strategic partner in the design, development and delivery of improved, equitable and equality based health and wellbeing outcomes for the communities of Milton Keynes.

The MK Voluntary Sector Alliance is committed to a co-production model that places the voices and experiences of communities at the heart of decision making, therefore elevating the value of this insight so it forms part of the decision making data, and where necessary providing the advocacy to facilitate this approach.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Milton Keynes Voluntary Sector Alliance (VSA) is seeking to be the strategic voice for the VCSE in Milton Keynes. Composed of members from the ‘Network of Networks’, the Voluntary Sector Alliance will bring together cross-sector individuals and organisations in Milton Keynes.

The Network of Networks for Milton Keynes is shown displaying how existing and potential city-wide Voluntary, community and social entreprise networks, neighbnorhoods based groups/networks and other key stakeholders feed into the Milton Keynes voluntary sector alliance which then feeds into both Milton Keynes partnerships and committees and the Bedfordshire, luton and milton keynes wide partnerships/committees/boards

ROUTES INTO THE PUBLIC SECTOR

The Voluntary Sector Alliance provides the VCSE with a clear and purposeful route into the Public Sector. Through the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System (ICS) and the local partnership arrangements through MK Together.